The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA) assesses the extent to which students, who are near the end of compulsory education, have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society. It presents evidence on student performance in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy; reveals factors that influence the development of these skills at home and at school; and examines the implications for policy development. With to report Literacy Skills for the World of Tomorrow--Further results from PISA 2000, OECD and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics extend the picture that PISA provides to additional countries that have recently joined the programme. The report shows considerable variation in levels of knowledge and skills between students, schools and countries. Not all of these differences are due to the social and economic conditions in which students live and schools or countries operate. Some countries have managed to mitigate the influence of social background and some have achieved this while reaching a high overall level of performance. These are noteworthy achievements. Will other countries take up to challenge?

This report extends the picture of literacy skills th PISA 2000 provides to additional countries that have recently joined the programme: Albania; Argentina; Bulgaria; Chile; Hong Kong-China; Indonesia; Israel; FYR Macedonia; Peru; Romania and Thailand.

This wrap-up volume of the PISA 2000 project presents the key findings, including fascinating findings on reading performance, characteristics of successful students, differences between the interests and study habits of boys and girls, the effect of school climate and resources on student performance, and the effect of school autonomy on performance. The book includes country-by-country profiles that provide information on student performance, socio-economic status, student characteristics, school characteristics, and system characteristics.

All children and youth deserve the opportunity to improve their life chances by acquiring the knowledge and skills that will help them thrive in the future. As the world lags far behind the Millennium Development and Education for All goals, swift, targeted, and effective action is needed to improve both access and quality in education.

OECD Factbook 2007 is the third edition of a comprehensive and dynamic new statistical publication from the OECD. More than 100 indicators cover a wide range of subject areas.